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calliopecalling · 2 years

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QOTS Rewatch - Season 1 Retrospective

Before moving on to season 2, I want to take a look back at season 1 as a whole. Buckle up because this is going to be a long-ass post. Here’s what I’m gonna cover:

My Top 3 Episodes

My Top 5 Scenes

Season 1 Episodes Ranked

Teresa’s Journey

Jeresa, DUH

Top 3 Season 1 Episodes

This wasn’t actually that hard.

#3: 1x05, Un Alma. Un Mapa. Dos Futuros.

Let’s be honest, this one is in this position for purely superficial reasons. I just fucking love the hilarity that is James ogling Teresa in this episode. Like it makes me literally cackle, watching him trying not to be attracted to her and failing miserably. That, combined with her death glares at him, and then the actually narratively significant struggle in the car at the end of the party over watching the Birdman kill a man, combine to make this a real gem. This episode is almost the tipping point towards James irreversibly falling for Teresa (I think the honors for that go to 1x06) but I overall enjoy this episode more than 1x06 because of the humor and the “enemies” vibe between Teresa and James. What can I say… I love a good trope.

#2: 1x02, Cuarenta Minutos

My season 1 runner-up. For OBVIOUS reasons. The Jeresa meet-cute LMAO. Their first looks. First words. First life-or-death adventure. Like really they were thrown right into the deep end and their dynamic from the get-go here is absolutely electric. Epic scenes like Teresa swallowing the coke packets, the car struggle, puking the coke packets back up. Great pacing, great narrative tension, great acting. Teresa-centric but really making things interesting by introducing James. We get some great Camila/Epifanio repartee. Really could be my number 1 except that my number 1 is all of those things but just even better...

#1: 1x03, Estrategia de Entrada

This is my favorite season 1 episode. It’s the first one in which Teresa’s not just furiously surviving, if that makes sense--we start to see her business instincts, not just her survival instincts. It’s a classic Jeresa episode, showcasing them at their early best with multiple amazing scenes (warehouse staring contest; Sam’s Club; Lopez and the counterfeit money). It’s got a great soundtrack. And it’s well-balanced: mostly Teresa-focused, with lots of James, and the Camila scenes don’t drag. Really an amazing episode. Not a single complaint, not a single misstep. A pleasure to watch and rewatch.

Top 5 Season 1 Scenes

Look this is really impossible to do. Rank my top five of ALL the scenes in the season. And my answer might be different in a month than it is today. But today, when I look back through all my recap posts, these five were the ones that gave me the biggest jolt of FUCK YEAH.

#5:

The scene: 1x07, Teresa’s stare-down with Camila after she gets back to the warehouse with the medicine for the sick girl. “I just don’t wanna have to worry about you. Do I have to worry about you Teresa?”

What I love about it: Teresa’s epic cool. Camila’s thinly veiled anxiety. James watching the whole thing, and as a viewer, knowing he’s already a goner for Teresa.

#4:

The scene: 1x03, Teresa’s staring contest with James in the warehouse when she thanks him for upgrading her from the floor to a cot.

What I love about it: The stare that is waaaay too long to be appropriate. Teresa’s epic cool (again). James grabbing her (any excuse to touch his wife amiright) to give her advice but the electricity btw them being so obvious it’s practically visible.

#3:

The scene: 1x06, the drive to the parking garage to pick up the shipment, when Teresa and James fight over the radio dials and then James shares the cave metaphor.

What I love about it: WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE. The bickering. James’s nervous ticks. James revealing the permanent darkness he lives in, not realizing he’s just shown his hand to Teresa in a way that is about to turn his life upside down. Teresa’s epic cool (again).

#2:

The scene: 1x04, “You are trouble.”

What I love about it: The red glowiness. How pretty they both are. James’s posturing. Teresa’s epic cool (again).

#1:

The scene: 1x10, James’s conversation with Brenda and his stand-off with Brenda’s number 2 and 3.

What I love about it: Literally everything. It doesn’t even include Teresa (so I’m shocked it’s my favorite of the season) but it’s all ABOUT Teresa, so. Technically this is more than one scene (the final bit of James in the motel with the two guys, when Teresa finally calls him and he looks embarrassingly relieved) is at the end of the episode. But I just love James’s whole mood; the way Brenda calls his bluff; how talking to Brenda gives him just a little glimpse at a side of Teresa he doesn’t know; how the two guys are all BIIIIITCH. I could just watch this whole bit unfold over and over. And all of it is because James is having a whole meltdown about Teresa running away. And she’s delightfully oblivious.

What’s funny is how many of these are me being obsessed with how cool Teresa is. Lmao. I guess I’m predictable.

Season 1 Episodes Ranked

1x03

1x02

1x05

1x10

1x01

1x06

1x08

1x09

1x04

1x13

1x07

1x11

1x12

Teresa’s Journey

Obviously the series opens with Teresa as a full-on drug lord, running the largest drug empire in the western hemisphere, and so we know that’s where we’re headed as soon as we begin. And then in the first few episodes of this first season, we’re introduced to a Teresa who is just, so compelling. Someone we fall in love with because she’s strong and smart and good. And as we’re falling in love with her we also know, in the back of our minds, that she’s going to go down this dark path, that she’s going to lose scruples over time, that she’s going to be dangerous and, via her business, responsible for a lot of pain in the world. It’s an interesting dilemma because we’re also clearly meant to be invested in her and root for her. I remember the first time I watched this and feeling so curious how they would resolve this problem, the problem of rooting for the antihero. How they would sell us on her descent into moral corruption.

Well, it happens slowly, and we see in this season just the very beginning of those compromises start to happen as a result of trauma, relentless trauma, and a desperate will to survive. In the first half of the season she’s really just trying with all her might to get out. Even in episode 1x08, when she kills John Terris, she tried to let him go first and ultimately had to shoot him in self-defense. She subsequently risks everything, including her life, to save the hotel maid who could have identified her to police. It’s really not until she loses Brenda in the final moments of the episode that she is able to truly get into the driver’s seat of her own queenpin journey. (I argued this in my 1x13 recap too.) That’s when she takes the gun and shoots down El Limpiador--out of revenge. The cumulative affects of having killed Gato, gained Pote’s allegiance, lost Brenda, and killed El Limpiador are in my opinion the major drivers of her first step towards the top of the drug business.

But in some ways she was making incremental decisions all along the way that started orienting her in that direction:

She volunteered herself as a drug mule to Camila, in order to avoid being made a sex slave.

She asked to go with James to the meet with Lopez and then chose to speak up about the counterfeit money.

She walked away from the handcuffed man at Birdman’s party.

She held the maid hostage--of course this was her assignment, so it’s not really something she chose, but she clearly had to sell a piece of her soul to carry it out.

She shot Terris which, yes, it was self-defense, but borderline.

She shot Gato which, again, totally self-defense… AND revenge.

Looking at this list it’s like, you can’t judge her for any of this. All of these things were done in order to survive. Whether because someone was ordering her to do it, or because her own life was directly at stake, her choice in each of these situations (or at least, her choice as she understood it) was between the moral compromise and her own survival. It’s just that, because of her circumstances, her choices continually narrowed until it felt clear to her that, as James told her in 1x05, the only way out was up. So, finally, in the season finale, we have a Teresa who has resigned herself to no longer trying to run away and who instead is leveraging the limited power she has to gain a foothold in the business. Every attempt she’d made to run failed epically. The last one resulted in the death of her best friend. So, getting out of the business was at direct odds with surviving.

This season, the compromises were relatively forced, but as the seasons go on and the stakes grow higher for her, the compromises get harder and harder to watch. But the seeds were definitely planted here in this season, and she’s now taken the first small steps towards losing sight of what “survival” actually means. It’s just that in this season, you still have complete sympathy for why. Each season those compromises become harder and harder to stomach, almost without you noticing. That’s part of what makes her story, and her character’s journey, so remarkable.

Jeresa

I’ve written a lot in my recap posts, and in two meta posts earlier this year, about the evolution of Jeresa over the course of this season. But I mean, obviously that relationship is at the heart of the show. James falls in love with Teresa for the same reasons we as viewers are invested in her, and it’s through his eyes and his journey that we understand exactly how powerful she is as a character. When he meets her, he is totally unprepared for the impact she will have on his life. I’ve said this in other posts but she really manages to find a crack in his countenance and wedge a toe in it until it slooooowly widens and eventually breaks open. All without even realizing she’s doing it. That’s the best part. She’s largely oblivious. Or at least, uninvested. I think by 1x05 she’s somewhat aware there’s energy there. But he--well. He has the truly most epic character arc this season.

If I had to pinpoint the evolution of his feelings for Teresa and the impact they have on him, I would probably say that at first he’s disconcerted by her and impressed, which results in him doing this weird posturing around her, trying to impress her while trying to still act as though me? I don’t care. But even while he’s trying to act like he doesn’t care, he still has room to respect her, as evidenced in the counterfeit money situation. I don’t think he really realized he was drawn to her in any special way until the party at Birdman’s, though. By then, Camila had ordered him to get close to her, so his taking her under his wing until then was not because of his own attraction (at least, that’s what he could tell himself). But his ridiculous flirting, with her and in front of her, in that episode really makes it apparent (to him, too) that yeah… he’s attracted to her. And he’s enjoying being attracted to her.

But it’s the next day, when Teresa goes back for him after the DEA bust in downtown Dallas, that what probably seemed like, ok, this is relatively harmless attraction, started to take on a deeper layer. On their way to meet that shipment, James told her the deeply personal “you learn to live in the dark, because you’re in it every time you close your eyes.” I don’t think he even intentionally shared that with her. Like I don’t think that was orchestrated. I think he just… felt compelled to open up to her, to get closer to her. And then she went back for him and threw his cave metaphor back in his face. I already wrote this in my recap of that episode but to me that is clearly the moment he last the battle against the developing feelings. He spent the next several episodes trying to pretend to himself as if none of that had any significance whatsoever, no, definitely not. Until finally surrendering to it in episode 1x10, when he lied to Camila about the maid to cover for Teresa. That’s THE moment, in my opinion, that James had to acknowledge to himself that he was in over his head.

And I noticed, too, that despite the fact he’d been gunning to kill Birdman all season, that when Camila finally said at the end of 1x10 that it was time to kill him, James looked conflicted. HE’S A CHANGED MAN. Suddenly he realizes he has scruples. Teresa’s influence already settling in. James will never again be that excited to kill someone… unless it’s someone who’s coming after Teresa, lol.

Meanwhile Teresa, as I said, is relatively uninvested in James this season. You can’t blame her; she’s just trying to survive. And he’s one of her captors. She doesn’t trust him, or at least doesn’t think she trusts him. I think by Birdman’s party she’s vaguely aware of his attentions but I really don’t think she’s at all ready to receive them or pay them any mind whatsoever. When she goes back for him after the DEA bust the next day, I don’t think it’s because she’s worried about him so much as it is because she wants to prove to him that helping each other--being “in it together”--is a better way of doing things than every man for himself. (And boy, does he take that and run with it…) Arguably James had been helping her from the beginning, but I don’t think he was self-aware about it. If anything, I think he tried to act like he wasn’t that type of person. (I mean, look at how, in 1x06, he yells at her “jump or die!” when they’re facing the DEA’s gunfire! And then he jumps first and doesn’t look back!) But when she goes back for him, that changes. She’s just not fully aware that that’s changed for him until he covers for her with the maid. That moment, at the end of episode 1x10, is her moment of recognition that there’s something deeper going on with him. That’s when the seed is planted for her that he’s someone she could potentially trust in a deeper way. I still don’t think she’s ready to think of it in terms of her own emotions, but I think she recognizes his, and that recognition helps her to understand him on a more personal level. While the rest of the season after that she spends trying to escape (so, clearly her mind wasn’t dwelling on any romantic possibilities, lol), this recognition sets the stage for early season 2 when she’s resigned herself to staying in the game.

WELL. I think that about covers what I have to say about season 1. Oh, also, as far as how James pronounces Teresa’s name: it’s consistent all season. The lazy American “r” ter-RAY-zuh. (Does James actually speak Spanish?! It’s a mystery…)

#queen of the south #qots #qots s1 #2021 rewatch #txt post #qots meta #season 1 retrospective #episode rankings

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folie-lex · 5 years

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A lot has been discussed about “when” it was that James & Teresa started catching feelings for each other. (Thanks to Ryan and Jorge for feeding the fans on twitter and keeping this debate alive at any given chance).

While I think we can all agree that it’s been a gradual process for both and it has certainly not been one sided I think we can also acknowledge that each one worked in a different speed and pace... and I also think it’s safe to say that James was the one who fell first (granted, you gotta cut Teresa some slack here: she was still going through trauma, grieving - or coming to terms that her grieving was unwarranted - and just plain old trying to stay alive.)

Now, this was NOT some “love at first sight” crap. The world in which the show functions and the situations these people find themselves in simply doesn’t allow for that. However, there was a connection between them very early on; something that a true deep romantic relationship could be built upon, and subsequently has.

I’m getting ahead of myself here though, but let’s pick it up from the start because it IS important.

James & Teresa’s first interaction is maybe the furthest thing from a meet-cute (which sidenote: A meet-cute is exactly what she had with Guero). Teresa is being held down, threatened and abused and she’s fighting back like a wild dog. For his part, though clearly not happy with what’s going on, James is being professional, cold, detached and pragmatic. “Just another wayward girl to have around the warehouse... *shrug*... whatever.”

But she offers to do the job and now he worries, because THIS job comes with strings and stakes and responsibilities and needs some level of experience. It doesn’t help that this girl seems to already have enough trouble following her around in the first place. However, she volunteers and Camila is intrigued enough to go along with it. So James is left with no option but to comply and just get the job done, as James does. And as James does, he feels he’ll be the one to clean whatever mess and fallout follows.

He gives her a crash course coaching about their cover story and drives like a pendejo to get her to the airport, because both the job needs to get done, but also, more importantly “that was not the first girl who died and [he] won’t have that again”. And when he insists it’s over and they won’t make it, Teresa digs her heels. She’s doing this.

This is turning point Number 1.

In 2.03 James tells Camila that what he believes in is “survival instinct” and that is what he recognises in Teresa in that moment. And just like that she becomes more than “another wayward girl”. Suddenly she becomes somebody he can communicate with and talk to, on the same level.

And that look... well... it’s far from the full and in-effect “hearteyes level: james valdez” but it’s a precursor to it. It is those mutual core instincts they share that set the foundation of their whole dynamic.

The rest of the mission is spent establishing that rapport. Everything in the airport solidifies that connection. And nothing caps that better than his “I can’t believe she made it and we pulled this off” look after she hands him the last baggie.

Episodes 1.03 and 1.04 continue with this trend, with the layers of James actively trying to ward Teresa off, while she begins to quietly observe how the business works, being added to their dynamic.

What I find very interesting in these two episodes is how passive Teresa seemingly comes off, as she just starts to take everything in, while James is at his most verbal, social and swagger-ish. Which makes sense: she’s educating herself about what it takes to stay alive (all while keeping her cards as close to her chest as possible) and he is preoccupied with feeding her with as much information as he can so she can learn and be prepared for what lies ahead (all while trying to maintain dominance and the upper hand in whatever relationship they are being forced into developing).

However come episode 1.05 things begin to shift again... and quite a lot.

Up until then it’s all about James seeing in Teresa someone he can be straight with. Someone he doesn’t have to sugar coat things for, nor should he. Someone he can (maybe) rely on to pull through, when the going gets tough. But she’s still got the blinders on... or more accurately she persists on not taking them off. Therefore a bigger “lesson” is required. So he takes her to “go kill someone”.

I want to make another sidenote here to point out about this episode that:

From James’ side he actually invites her in his home. We talk a lot about how “closed off and secretive” he generally is. But here we witness as he allows her a glimpse into part of his life outside of work. The way I’ve always interpreted this was as more proof he saw her as someone with the potential to be treated as an equal. (And he does this again in a way in S3 when he offers up his own HOME as their safe haven).

And what needs to be pointed about this episode from Teresa’s perspective is she had the curtain pulled off her eyes about the kind of woman she used to be when she was with Guero, as she sees her past self in Kim, furthering her acknowledgement of how treacherous this world really is.

Moving on...

Before they go to “kill someone” he takes her to get her “dolled up” because the job calls for it.

And look while I’m sure, as a straight man he was aware she wasn’t an unattractive woman, I’m also pretty sure he hadn’t actually put himself in the mindframe to look at her that way. Because that look and that small step back, when she walks down those stairs dressed up to the nines?

That right there is surprise... and turning point Number 2. This is where it hits James: “She cleans up nice... she looks good...”

And yes, fiiiiiine... It is just the shallow, superficial aspect of romance and their relationship is built on so much more than that, I 100% agree. But to be physically attracted to someone is important. And IMO there is something to be said that James bothered to both see and treat her like a potential future equal first, before he even cared to admit she was also a “pretty girl”.

The mission goes as all their missions go: with its ups and downs, but getting the job done; and concludes with their scene in the car, i.e.: turning point Number 3.

Informing her on Eric, his role and what the deal AND plan is, was all James wanted to show her during this excursion. That random guy getting killed was not on the schedule and it throws both of them off.

However it also gives James a glimpse through the first crack in those walls Teresa has very consiously put up since she came in his life. Sure he’s seen her be stubborn before, but actually fight back? For “what’s right”? This was a first. And her persistence in how she comes alive in the car, actually lunging at him to DO SOMETHING is completely new.

After she realises there is nothing more she can do for the guy, and he manages to calm her down, the way he softly looks at her, surprised and taken aback by their proximity, he sees those things he has long given up to be in this world. Those things he misses about himself. Those things he wants to get back when he comes looking for her in S3.

But we’re still at the beginning here. And James, here, is still in that hopeless cynical place in his life, where he believes this naiveté, and this willingness to still try and be somewhat “good” is pointless and will get you killed. One can imagine James, who has this business so well figured out, being confronted with Teresa who while unwilling to lay low, is also still trying to stay true to herself must be overwhelming. And more than that this is the first time she isn’t letting him just boss her around. She talks back. She stands up for herself. She calls him out. She is putting in question his whole world view.

And all this is followed by 1.06 and her “using the time she had to get him out of the cave” which is turning point Number 4. And IMO, it’s his point of no return.

He spends that whole episode trying to bring back their tentative relationship to what it was before their talk in the car at Eric’s. From their drive to the meet, to how he barks orders at her during the shoot-out, to every bit of instruction he gives her while they’re running, that’s all he’s doing: warning her and keeping her alive, with a wee-bit of posturing sprinkled in there.

Still, she comes back for him amidst complete chaos, and that’s when he sees it: She’s not just a survivalist like him. She doesn’t just clean up well. She isn’t just a sweet, kind and somewhat naive girl that’s in way over her head. She’s also loyal.

And here’s the thing: James might only believe in “survival instinct”. However LOYALTY is the only thing he truly values. It is the only thing he considers as his one true redeeming attribute. And it’s a rare currency. Yet she has it.... in spades. But more than that, she just offered it to him, with open hands and no strings attached... and in this hole, in this life he’s found himself in, that’s even more rare. THAT he can’t negate, or dismiss.

So when Charger says “let’s trade her” it’s not even an option in his mind. She is not expendable. Period.

Though that, he won’t admit to himself until 2.04. (But that’s a whoooooole other post).

#qots #queen of the south #jeresa #james valdez #meta #qots S1 #teresa mendoza #I can't believe I finished it...#I've been working on this since forever #my screencaps #my gifs

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michaeltrevino · 5 years

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GET TO KNOW ME: [2/10] tv shows → Queen of the South ↳ There’s a flower that grows in the darkness. It’s called lirio de los valles. It actually does better in the shade. It blooms in spite of the darkness. You remind me of that flower.

#queen of the south #qotsedit #queenofthesouthedit #gtkm #tvedit #edits #qots s1

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1dontevenknowanymore · 6 years

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So if you haven’t already realised I’m recently obsessed with a new show called Queen of the South but most of you would... anyway I just finished season 1 (I know it’s taken me a while, Uni has been kicking my butt) and I just have a lot of feelings right now.

I still love one man. Him saying he would stake his life on trusting Teresa. I just... I love one man okay

And excuse me fucking Guero is a dick, excuse the French. But what a cock.

Anywhoo from all the spoilers I’ve seen this is gonna be a good season for the love of my life and his love of his life -aka

(Yes I know it’s from season 3 but it makes my heart soft, so shoot me)

Anyway im off to get my heart ripped out by these two, and I’m also expecting many eye rolls whenever this dude comes on my screen

But also not gonna end with his face so I’m so excited to see this

#qots #queen of the south #qots s1 #qots s2 #jeresa #james #qots james #teresa #qots teresa #guero #qots guero

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morleybell · 7 years

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#softie!!!!!#qotsedit #qots #james valdez #jamesvaldezedit #queen of the south #mine #my gifs #qots s1 #mine qots #mine james #peter gadiot #petergadiotedit

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jeresadaily · 3 years

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Where can I get ice?

Lirio de los Valles [1x04]

requested by @calliopecalling

#queen of the south #qots #qotsedit #jeresa #teresa x james #s1 #1x04 #by annie #*

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mymostimaginaryfriend · 3 years

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QUEEN OF THE SOUTH ♛ 1X02

#qotsedit #queen of the south #qots #jeresa #jeresaedit #teresa mendoza #james valdez #*myedits #*myqots #tvedit #honey you're familiar like my mirror years ago #qots season 1 #qots s1 e2

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youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal · 2 years

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Zoe Banks CGs | Season 1

#Zoe banks #lovestruck #amemix #voltage #queen of thieves #QOT #lovestruck archive #personal #Zoe s1

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wonder-falcon · 4 years

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Queen of Thieves | Season 1 | Vivienne Tang | Mini CGs/Illustrations

#theres one more #its just a passport #so whatever #vivienne tang #queen of thieves #season 1 #qot #lovestruck voltage #lovestruck #lovestruckvoltage #dont ask me why i posted the s1 cgs after the s5 ones lol #mini cgs #mini cg #mini illustration #im just preparing myself for the inevitable end of viviennes route #vivienne x mc

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agent-farah-hauville · 4 years

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LMAO VIV NO

#vivienne tang #jett slater #queen of thieves #qot #lovestruck #lovestruck voltage #remy s1

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la-ermitana · 2 years

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Teresa ignoring James 1x04 | 5x09

requested by @calliopecalling

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calliopecalling · 3 years

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QOTS Rewatch - 1x11 - Punto sin Retorno

This episode feels like a transition episode. It moves the plot along but isn't all that interesting. It just lines everyone up for the final two episodes of the season. It feels like a bit of a letdown of an episode tbh after the tension and breakthroughs in the previous one. Episode 10 was such a tense one for Teresa and really gave us a heart-aching close-up at what she's going through. And then it gave us this amazing breakthrough between Teresa and James, after building up to it since episode 2. And now this episode has NO scenes with the two of them together. It's a bit of a head-scratcher? Spend all season building up this dynamic as a central part of Teresa's character development and then *poof* suddenly it's gone. Honestly I think it makes the episode feel a little flat, because while I know this is Teresa's story, James is one of the most dynamic and interesting characters this season.

Teresa

This is the episode in which Teresa actually tries to get out. Killing the Miami dealer and then the whole ordeal with trying to prevent Camila (and via Camila, James) from killing the maid were really just way too much for her and she's Done with a capital D. She first asks Camila directly, but the answer is a resounding "no." Camila says, "you have something on me, I have something on you. We're in this together." Interesting parallel to James using those same words with Teresa in season 2, and Teresa using them later with him. I think Camila's definition of "in this together" is a liiiiiittle bit different. Anyway, so Teresa steals some coke, goes to the immigration lawyer to pay him with powder to get papers for her and Brenda and Tony, and then tries to execute a plan to get Birdman to buy the notebook from Brenda so they can disappear. Only turns out James was paying Birdman a visit at the same time--to kill him.

Now Teresa is sure that, since James saw Brenda's face at Birdman's, that he'll come after them to try to kill them. It's such a backwards step from the previous episode when it seemed like she saw that maybe, just maybe, James could be an ally. Now though her gut reaction is sheer terror at the possibility that he could hunt them down. I mean, she's not wrong--she's been through A LOT and it makes sense that her gut instinct would be self-preservation and not trust. But it feels like a bit of a narrative disconnect. Anyway, so she and Brenda and Tony get on a bus to Mexico, where Brenda's cousin Victor meets them to take Tony temporarily. Except we all know it's not temporary and that this is Brenda and Tony's final good-bye. SOB. Other than this, there's not a whole lot of Teresa getting to shine this episode, it's just getting her from Camila's warehouse to her escape to Mexico.

James

Oh hi Kim. It's just me your boyfriend who is maybe falling in love with another woman, loading weapons in our front hall. Oops! Sorry babe! Lol this is the episode in which Kim makes her last appearance, so it seems that, now that we've been made aware that James has Feelings for Teresa, it's time to get rid of the actual girlfriend. This is enabled by Kim's having had enough of the life of danger. So while she shows up at James's secret lake-side trailer--at James's insistence, because of the possible blowback on him for Birdman's murder--she's clearly not happy about it. We don't see her ever again. Also I noticed that he actually says "I love you very much" to Kim in his phone call to her. In a context where it's almost like he's trying to sell Kim on coming to the trailer for safety. A far cry from the heartfelt, gut-wrenching I love you to Teresa at the end of season 5.

So James finally gets to kill Birdman this episode. Hooray? He doesn't seem ALL that stoked. And then Charger calls him and tells him that Teresa's gone. While he's waiting in his trailer for Kim, he tries calling Teresa (no answer) and then calls Camila. "Teresa ran." Even though he's holding photocopied pages from Guero's notebook, he covers for Teresa again and tells Camila she left no clues to where to find her. Kim finally shows up at the trailer and it's clear this is the end of their little romance. We've seen way more of Real James with Teresa already than Kim probably ever got to see.

Camila

Honestly I find Camila's manipulations at this point a little bit quotidian. She's decided to go ahead and take out Birdman, knowing there will be blowback; she clears everyone out of the warehouse anticipating said blowback; then she meets up with Manuel Jimenez to make a deal with him to get his brother out of high-security prison in Colorado; in exchange, Jimenez will be her ally in taking over Epifanio's business. I'm not really clear on why Birdman had to be killed? Just because she and James didn't like him? Anyway, we're about to meet Boaz next episode, so THAT'S cool. Otherwise, this episode was just a way to get Camila teed up for war with Epifanio.

SO. Where are we at? Teresa's in Mexico with Brenda, trying to use Guero's notebook to buy their freedom. James has finally gotten rid of the girlfriend. And Camila's ready for war. And that's about it? Honestly this episode is a little flat. As I said above, it's a bit funny to have had this dynamic relationship building up all season between Teresa and James only for that relationship to suddenly have no screen-time for the rest of the season. We got rid of James's girlfriend, though, and established that yes he's still a potential ally to Teresa -- even though she thinks he'll try to hunt down her and Brenda to kill them, he's actually still trying to help her, or at least not help Camila find her. Oh, and shirtless James! That happened, and most of the gifsets of this episode feature that, no doubt. WE SHALL SEE.

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